BOWL BONANZA

A look at where Texas teams (and LSU) will play in bowl games

Seth Livingston
SportsMap Staff
Dec 2, 2018, 2:58 pm
Sam Ehlinger and the Longhorns will face Georgia. Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images

The bowl games are set, and the playoffs will feature Alabama vs. Oklahoma and Clemson vs. Notre Dame. But there are also six Texas schools and LSU playing in bowl games. Here is who they play, when they play and how the matchups look:

Saturday, Dec. 15

New Mexico Bowl (2 p.m., ESPN): North Texas vs. Utah State. North Texas finished off a 9-3 season with a win over UTSA and their reward is facing a very good Utah State team that went 10-2 and just missed out making the Mountain West title game. The Mean Green will be up against it. 

Saturday, Dec. 22

Armed Forces Bowl (3:30 p.m., ESPN): Houston vs. Army. The Cougars late collapse lands them in a difficult spot against a really good Army team. The Cougars will be without Ed Oliver against a team that can run the football. No D'Eriq King, either, which will make for a tough matchup for the Cougars.

Tuesday, Dec. 26

Cheez-It Bowl (9 p.m. ESPN): TCU vs. Cal. The Horned Frogs had a dissapointing season but  won their last two to garner bowl eligibilty and will look for a decent win over an improved Cal team.

Wednesday, Dec. 27

Texas Bowl (9 p.m., ESPN) Baylor vs. Vanderbilt. The Bears had a surprising season, earning bowl eligibilty on the last week of the season. They will face a Vanderbilt team they should be able to compete with.

Monday, Dec. 31

Taxslayer Bowl (6:30 p.m., ESPN): Texas A&M; vs. NC State. The Aggies get a decent matchup with NC State after an eight win debut for Jimbo Fisher. This should be a good opportunity for the Aggies.

Tuesday, Jan. 1

Fiesta Bowl (1 p.m., ESPN): LSU vs. UCF. The Tigers get to be the Group of Five team that faces UCF this year. The Golden Knights will be without their starting QB, but they still thumped Memphis without him. An intriguing matchup.

Sugar Bowl (8:45 p.m., ESPN): Texas vs. Georgia. The Longhorns get a New Year's Six bowl despite losing in the Big 12 title game, and their reward is a Georgia team that might lack motivation considering they were close to making the playoff. 

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HOUSTON 84, GEORGIA STATE 55

Cougars make quick work of Georgia State in Round 1 of NCAA Tournament

Dejon Jarreau and the Cougars were flying high. Stacy Revere/Getty Images

The Houston Cougars won their opening game in the NCAA Tournament, knocking off a badly overmatched Georgia State team 84-55.

Here are five quick highlights:

1) Corey Davis is for real

Davis had another monster game with 26 points, five rebounds and six assists. He hit 7 of 17 3-pointers and helped the Cougars put the game away early.

2) Defense carries the day

The Cougars stifled Georgia State, which shot just 30 percent for the game and made only 6 of 23 3-pointers.

3) And that rebounding...

The Cougars have won all year with defense and rebounding. We already mentioned the defense; they also out rebounded Georgia State 51-27 in a dominant effort.

4) Playing physical

The Cougars were able to beat down the Panthers, and did not commit a lot of fouls doing it (14). If the refs let them play, the Cougars can be very dangerous moving forward.

5) Coming up

The Cougars will face Ohio State in the next round. OSU has good size but is slow. If UH can get out and run, this should be a win.


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